Apron-guiding device.



F. e. SARGENT. APRON GUIDING DEVICE. APPLICATION FILED SEPT- 3' 1915.

1,181,685. Patented Ma 2,1916.

ITED STATES PA FREDERICK G. SARGENT, OF WESTFORD, MASSACHUSETTS,ASSIGNOR TO U. G. SARGENTS SONS CORPORATION, OF GRANITEVILIJ'EMASSACHUSETTS, A

CORPORATION OF MASSACHUSETTS.

APRON-G'UIDING DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 2 1916.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FREDERICK G. SAR- GENT, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Westford, in the county of Middlesex and State ofMassachusetts, have invented a new and useful Apron-Guiding Device, ofwhich the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an apron guiding device particularly designedfor use upon a wool drying machine. The invention, however, is capableof general application, and may be applied to produce similar resultsupon other more or less similar machines.

In this class of machines a broad slowmoving belt or apron is carriedover a pair of drums, and it-frequently happens that this apron developsa tendency to deviate from a straight path, running over the edge of thedrum at one side or the other. The correction of this lateral deviationis a matter of some difficulty, particularly in a wooldrying machine inwhich the apron is made -of wire screen, the nature of which materialrenders it impossible to correct the lateral deviation by the provisionof any form of guiding device which engages the edge of p the apron.

thereof or placing any undue strain thereon.

With this general object in view, one feature of my invention relates tothe provision of a guiding roller engaging one surface of the apron at apoint more or less removed from the drum, together with the provision ofmechanism for changing the angular position of said roller relatively tothe path of travel of the apron, the roller when thus shifted beingeffective to correct the deviation of the apron.

A further feature of my invention relates to the provision of a pair ofpulleys adjacent the two ends of the drum and so connected to theguiding roller that partial rotation of one or the other of said .pul-

leys will result in a change in the angular position of the guidingroller. Provision modification thereof is shown in the drawings in whichFigure 1 is a perspective view of a portion of a wool-drying machinewith my invention applied thereto; Fig. 2 is a right-hand side elevationof the mechanism shown in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a left-hand side elevationof the same mechanism; Fig. 4: is a detail elevation showing a slightmodification; Fig. 5 is a detail of a modified roller shaft bearing, andFig. 6 is a detail view of a slight additional modification.

Referring to Fig. l I have shown a drum 10 mounted upon a shaft 11rotatable in bearings 12 which are adjustably mounted upon brackets 18carried by a supporting frame 14. The apron is indicated at 15 and is ofsubstantially the same width as the drum 10, suitable provision, notshown, being made for slowly advancing the apron in the direction of thearrow a.

At each end of the drum 10, pulleys 16 and 17 are loosely mounted uponthe shaft 11, said pulleys being provided with counter-weighted portionswhich retain the pulleys normally in the positions shown in Figs. 2 and3. v

A guide roller 18 is mounted upon a roller shaft 19 which is rotatablein bearing blocks 20 and 21 carried by the frame 14, the roller being sopositioned as to engage the under surface of the apron 15 as it leavesthe drum 10.

Each bearing block 20 and 21 is provided with a longitudinal slot 22which permits horizontal movement of the shaft 19 therein, while at thesame time vertical displacement is prevented.

The right-hand end of the roller shaft 19 extends through an open slotin the upper end of a lever 23 pivoted at 24 to the frame 14. The lever23 is weighted at its lower end and is connected by a link 25 to an arm26 fixed to a shaft 27 rotatable in bearings in the frame 14. A pulley28 is fixed to the shaft 27 and is connected by a cord or other flexiblemember 29 to a stud 30 carried by the pulley 16. A stop pin 31 carriedby the frame 14 projects between two of the arms of the pulley 16 andlimits angular displacement thereof in either direction.

Assuming that the apron 15, while traveling in the direction of thearrow at (Figs. 1 and 2), deviates toward the right, as

viewed in Fig. 1, the edge of the apron will I engage the loose pulleyl6, turning the pulley in the direction of the arrow a until furthermovement is. prevented by the stop 31. Such displacement of the pulley16 is communicated through the cord 29 to the pulley 28, turning theshaft 27 in the direction of the arrow 6 in Fig. 2. movement of theshaft 27 is communicated through the arm 26 andlink 25 to the lever 23,the lower end of the lever being moved to the right, as indicated by thearrow 0.

Such movement of the lever angularly displaces the right-hand end of theroller shaft 19 toward the left and such displacement tends to correctthe lateral deviation of the apron.

Similar mechanism is provided upon the left-hand side of the machine forcorrecting a lateral deviation in the opposite direction, this mechanismbeing shown in Fig. 3, in

. which appears a lever 230 pivoted at 2 10 and slotted at its upper endto engage the left-hand end of the shaft 19. At its lower end the leveris connected by a link 250 to an arm 260 secured to the left-hand end of,the shaft 27, while a pulley 280 fixed to the 'shaft is connected acord 290 to a stud 300 carried by the pulley 17. A stop 310 upon theframe work 14: limits the angular displacement of the pulley 17. Thecord .290, link 250, and the arm 260 are so (lisposed that movement ofthe pulley 17 by a deviation of the apron to the left (Fig. 1) willcause the left-hand end of the roller 18 to be moved toward the drum 10.

In the drawings I have shown the arms 26 and 260 and the pulleys 28 and280 as all fixed to a single shaft 27. lVith this construction it willbe evident that a correction at either end of the roller 18 will cause acorresponding correction in an op- 3), and moving the left-hand end ofthe shaft 19 toward the left or away from the drum 10. A double angularcorrection is thus obtained and the lateral deviation of the apron isquickly'corrected. It will be evident, however, that the device willalso operate in a similar manner but somewhat less rapidly if the shaft27 is made in two separate pieces so that the correcting devices at eachend of the drum works entirely independently. \Vith this constructionthe entire correction will be applied upon the end of the roller towardwhich the deviation has occurred. Similar results will be obtained Theif the lever 23 or 230 and its connection is omitted upon one side ofthe machine, while both pulleys 16 and 17 are connected'zt'o a one-pieceshaft 27. The correction'due to deviation in either direction will thenbe obtained by movement of one end of the shaft 19 either toward or awayfrom the drum 10, a plain swivel bearing 40 (Fig. 5) being substitutedfor the slotted bearing block at the opposite end of the shaft.

In Fig. 4 I have shown a modified form of my invention in which I raiseor lower the ends of the roller 18 instead of displacing themhorizontally. For this purpose I mount the roller 18 in a hearing at theend of one arm &0 of a three-armed lever pivoted at 4:1 to the frame1 1. Upon the arm 42 of the lever I provide a counter weight 43 whichmay be adjusted to balance the weight of the roller 18. To the third ordepending arm 44 of the lever I connect a link 45 corresponding infunction to the link 250 in Fig. 3. The arm 14: is counter weighted tomaintain the roller 18 normally in neutral position. The operation ofthis modified form of my invention is substantially simi lar to thatalready described displacement of the pulleys 16 and 17 resulting inraising or lowering the ends of the roller 18 and thereby correcting thedeviation. The correction, as shown in these drawings, takes place inthe long run of the apron upon the roller to the drum at the far end ofthe machine (not shown), this arrangement being found most satisfactory.

lVhile I have shown a guiding roller engaging the apron, a non-rotatableapronengaging device will to some extent accomplish the same results.

In Fig. 6 I have shown a plain guiding bar 42 provided with a squareshaft 43 adapted to project through the slots 22 and engage the lever23. 1

Having thus described my invention it will be evident that other changesand modifications can be made therein by those skilled in the artwithout departing from'the spirit and scope thereof as set forth in theclaims, and I do not wish to be otherwise limited to the details hereindisclosed, but

What I claim is a a 1. In an apron guiding device, in combination, aframe, a shaft mounted inbearings on said frame, a drum on said shaft, apulley adjacent each end of said drum and loose on saidshaft, a guidingroller engaging said apron, a roller shaft, bearings for said rollershaft permitting displacement thereof, a pair of levers engaging theends of said shaft, connections from said levers to said pulleys wherebypartial rotation of said pulleys by the apron will swing said levers anddisplace said roller shaft. rela tively to said drum shaft to change theangle of said roller relatively to the path of travel of said apron, anda weight on each lever, said weights being efiective to restore saidlevers and roller to normal position as soon as the apron is restored tocentral position.

2. In an apron guiding device, in oombination, a frame, a shaft mountedin bearings on said frame, a drum on said shaft, a

pair of pulleys adjacent the two ends of said drum and loose on saidshaft, a guide roller engaging the apron, a roller shaft normallypositioned parallel to said drum shaft, connections from said pulleystothe opposite ends of said roller shaft whereby partial rotation of oneof said pulleys by the apron will cause positive angular displacement ofsaid roller shaft relative to said drum shaft in one direction andpartial rotation of the other pulley by the apron will cause angulardisplacement in the opposite direction, and means to restore said rollershaft to normal position parallel to said drum shaft as soon as theapron is re-' turned to mid-position on said drum.

3. In an apron guiding device, in combination, a frame, a shaft mountedin bearings on said frame, a drum on said shaft, a pair of pulleysadjacent the two ends of said drum and loose on said shaft, a guidingroller engaging said apron, a roller shaft, bearings for said shaftpermitting displacement thereof relative to said drum shaft, andconnections from said pulleys to said roller shaft, said connectionsincluding devices engaging the ends of said roller shaft, a cross shaft,two crank pins carried thereby, links connecting said pins to saiddevices, two pulleys tight on said cross shaft, and flexible membersconnecting each loose pulley to one of said tight pulleys.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

FREDERICK Gr. SARGENT.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 0.

